Roland Wimbledon
"''Witches should not be utilized as consumables, but instead as the engine to stimulate the development of civilization."'' - ''Roland Wimbledon'' on the purpose and use of witches. Summary Roland Wimbledon is the King of the Kingdom of Graycastle and the leader of the Witch Union. His true identity is Cheng Yan, an engineer from modern day China, who somehow wakes up in the body of the original Roland after both of them died. After realizing this was real, he decided to live in this new world according to his morals and ideals. Appearance Roland has light gray hair and eyes, a common feature in Graycastle's Royal family, his skin is slightly pale but facial features are regular. His body lacks physical exercises. In Manhua, he is usually depicted wearing a grey noble coat with golden outlines, grey pants and a black pair of gloves with golden braces at his elbows. During the Month of Demons, he also wore a white robe with a golden pattern. Personality Original Roland: Roland was a coward and idiot who had no academic knowledge and only cared about fulfilling his lust and personal satisfaction. He often acted vicious and intimidating, but this was just a mask to hide his fear and sense of inferiority, especially compared to his family. Cheng Yan: Roland possesses an inquisitive and inventive personality. Whenever he doesn't understand something, he wishes to experiment to learn more about it. Kind and understanding, he doesn't discriminate against others, regardless of where they come from, or their social standing. He cares for everyone under him, no exceptions. Roland did not care about what his kingdom would look like after his death. Compared with an everlasting kingdom, he was more interested in the advancement of the entire human race. No matter who his successor was, Roland did not have an obligation to assist him in ruling the state. His life goal in this world was to improve the standard of living in Graycastle and take it to the next level while at the same time unveiling the mystery of the Battle of Divine Will.Chapter 913 However, Roland is also merciless to those who dare to oppose his reforms to advance the human race and to those who harmed those he cared about. He has no qualms about ordering the deaths of his enemies so long as he believed that their deaths may benefit him or his kingdom. Although he typically avoided the deaths of innocents whenever it was possible. Background Cheng Yan: was an mechanical engineer who was overworked by his superior. It got so bad that he eventually died from overwork, somehow leading to taking over the body of the original Roland. He had poor eyesight and wore glasses to read.Chapter 1 His intelligence was average, he studied hard but didn't get marks with ease. Thanks to his wide range of hobbies, he had browsed a large amount of knowledge on the internet. Original Roland: The original Roland was born the fourth child, and third son overall, of Wimbledon III. He often tried to join his older siblings, but was rejected due the gap in their ages. This caused him to hold an inferiority complex and vented his frustrations on his little sister Tilly. He often did horrible things and always tried to pass the blame on others. As he grew older, he hardly changed, leading to his siblings not even wanting to be around him unless necessary. He would spend most of his time enjoying food, drink, and prostitutes; although it must be noted that he never forced any of the women against their will. When Tilly got Ashes and made latter her bodyguard, Roland attempted to grope her. This almost led to him losing a hand, until Tilly made Ashes stand down. This left a bad image of the third prince in Ashes' mind. When the Royal Decree on the Selection of Crown Prince was announced, Roland was sent to a Border Town, a barren piece of land on the farthest point of the western territory where the king felt he would do no harm to the kingdom with his ineptitude. While there, Roland would indulge himself as he always did, coveting local noble ladies and ignoring local affairs, thus causing nobles' open contempt and disdain just after three months there. When a witch was found in the territory, he was asked to give the final sentence. Before he could, he died from a poison pill that was slipped into his drink by maid who was secretly working for Garcia Wimbledon.Chapter 11 Chronology Stepping Into a New World Cheng Yan awakes in the body of Roland Wimbledon, 4th Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle. He wonders what is going on before noticing a woman about to be hanged and an old man asking for his verdict. Cheng Yan is briefly confused when suddenly he realizes he has access to Roland's memories and understands the situation. He postpones the execution and proceeds to his room to gain his bearings. He decides that however this happened doesn't matter, and that he will live this new life the way he wants to. Roland decides to go to the dungeon and see the woman, who is said to be a witch, for himself. He is amazed at her power and decides to hire her. He teaches her that her power is her own, and not from the Devil, and that she can learn to control it. He also discovers another witch in his territory, Nana, and offers her the same aid in improving her control. He soon encounters Nightingale, a witch who had sneaked into his territory to recruit Anna and Nana into the Witch Cooperation Association. He is able to convince her to wait until the Months of Demons are over before taking them away, and that she can only take them away if the two of them consent to it. At the same time he would also develop Border Town using his engineering knowledge. He re-invented the Steam engine and Cement to help with the mining at the North Slope Mine and to build a wall to protect against the Demonic Beasts respectively. He also created the Border Town Militia (which would then be reformed into the First Army) to man the walls and defend against the Demonic Beasts. While these militia were mostly armed with wooden spears at first, Roland also re-invented and produced Flintlocks to aid the militia. Having previously made the decision to stay in Border Town during the Month of Demons instead of fleeing to Longsong Stronghold, Roland made it his utmost priority that the Border Town Militia was self-sufficient in defending against Demonic Beasts and needed no outside help. Thanks to his actions and the help of the witches, Border Town was able to survive the month of the demons with only one man losing his life. His actions would eventually draw the attention and ire of the nobles of Longsong Stronghold, eventually culminating in The Defensive Battle of Border Town. Battlefield of Souls This takes place at the same time as the fight against the holy city. Zero had a plan on how to take down Roland but it was a risky move on her part, it cost some of the converted witches but she did reach Roland with her powers. Roland lost consciousness when she entered his soul, and found himself awake in Zero's Soul Battlefield, which doesn't exist on a physical level. Zero got confused when she entered his soul since the battlefield took form of Cheng Yan's (Roland) former college campus, a place that looked so different from what she has experienced in all her life. Thus''' she wanted to kill Roland as quick as possible, and she didn't explain the rules of the battlefield. At the end of the fight it was a close one for Roland for losing but he ended up winning but Zero didn't give up and left a fractured memory for Roland to keep. Presumably he got her entire life span (Proven not to be the case). After he won he woke up to find out that he was in a coma for 2 months and Anna had been taking care of him. The rules are for the battlefield # You can make something appear only if you know how it works # You can die as much as your will power can endure # You can give up at any time and the winner gets to keep your memory intact and the rest of your life span # If you don't give up and end up dying the winner will keep a fractured memory (Depends on how strong your will power is, if it's weak they can still get the intact memory but if it's strong they will not get the memory at all or in bits and pieces) (they still get your life span) Chapter 626 - 628. Powers and Abilities As a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Graycastle, Roland possesses a certain amount of political power. After defeating Duke Ryan, he gained complete control over the Western Territory. Thanks to his background as an engineer, Roland possesses a keen mind and vast knowledge of modern science. This allows him to design and build various tools and machines that either aid in defense, offense or improve quality of life. In addition, he can figure out how to utilize the witches' various abilities to help realize his designs and overcome the limit of the world's technology. His knowledge, however, is not absolute. He only possesses extensive knowledge in his field of expertise, along with what he could remember from his school years. In addition, although he knows how certain machines work, it still takes a lot of trials and errors to actually build said machines. Roland is also skilled in negotiation, capable of directing conversations to his advantage, and understanding how the other side thinks, allowing him to somewhat predict their next move or response. Dream World After defeating Zero, Roland absorbs a fragment of her memory, along with those of her 2123 previous victims. His and her subconsciousness together create a pseudo-reality in the form of a modern town, which he can access while dreaming. Roland discovered that everything he ever read (books, websites) could be accessed in this dreamscape. Therefore, one of the dreamscape's uses is his personal library, greatly aiding him in making new designs. In the Dream World, time goes 8 times slower than in the real world; meaning 3 days in the Dream World is 9 hours in the real world. He should have also absorbed the lifespan which Zero gained after using her power on 2123 which would allow him to live more than 10,000 years. Unfortunately, because Rolland as a male cannot use magic, he did not obtain Zero's 10k years of lifeChapter 1269 . Force of Nature In the Dream World, he has awakened the Force of Nature, a type of magic power that has no gender restriction. However this power is only effective in the Dream World. This power gives him various of abilities which are: * '''Superhuman Strength - By summoned the flowing energy in his body, he can pulverize stoneChapter 790 and bend gold. * Superhuman Durability '''- His resilience had increase together with his strength, as except for some numbness, he could still move after an explosion sent him flying through a wall built with soundproof panels before crushing heavily to the ground. * '''Superhuman Reflexes - The power had drastically improved his dynamic vision and reaction speed. * Magic Power Absorption - Roland can absorb the magic power of Fallen Evil. Each time Rolland consumes another force of nature, his power within the dreamworld grows stronger, and the dreamworld expands and stabilizes, but at the cost of his conscious "real world" body's health. Each obtained core shortens his life. (Ch 1348) Inventions See Here. Relationships Family Due to his unpleasant nature and general ineptitude of the original Roland, none of his relatives enjoyed being around him and didn't have any expectations of him. Roland, on his part, only has what the original Roland remembers of them, and feels no real connection with his "family". Gerald Wimbledon Roland has no fond memories of his eldest brother from the original Roland and feels nothing but indifference when he hears about his death. Timothy Wimbledon Roland has no fond memories of his second eldest brother from the original Roland and only saw him as an obstacle to overcome when Timothy ascended as 'Wimbledon IV' and became the King of Graycastle. Eventually, both 'brothers' grew to despise each other as it became apparent that Roland's modern philosophy clashed with Timothy's medieval ideology during the Graycastle reunification wars. By the end of the war, Roland indifferently ordered for Timothy's execution for his crimes. Garcia Wimbledon Tilly Wimbledon Roland thinks of Tilly as an intelligent and reliable person whom he can discuss his plans with, with no worries. He places complete trust in her, and doesn't doubt her intentions or capabilities. [[Witch Union|'Witch Union']] Roland is the leader of the Witch Union and the one who reformed them after their near annihilation. He provides them with shelter and other necessities without treating them like servants, leading to their total loyalty to him. Some have a particularly close relationship with him: Anna Anna is the first witch Roland met. After witnessing her ability and realizing its uses, he pardoned her and hired her, despite his subordinates' protest. Because of her remarkable intelligence, Roland enjoys teaching her and her company more than anyone else. He falls in love with her; something she reciprocates. They eventually marry, with her becoming his first wife. Nightingale Nightingale and Roland met when the former sneaked in his room to talk about taking away Anna and Nana to the Witch Cooperation Association. Nightingale saw how well Roland treated the two, and how he wasn't frightened of her. He is aware of her romantic feelings for him but is unsure of how to respond, due to seeing her as a good friend and his relationship with Anna. Roland also trusts her to protect the other witches and seems to treat her like his right hand woman. With Anna’s mutual acceptance of Roland’s and Nightingale’s feelings for one another, she ultimately becomes his second wife. Subordinates Barov Mons Roland sees Barov as a useful, if somewhat old-fashioned, subordinate. He trusts him with implementing many of his plans to improve life in Border Town. Carter Lannis Roland trusts Carter with a variety of responsibilities and knows the knight supports him completely. Karl van Bate Karl van Bate was entrusted by Roland to be the Minister of Construction, assigned to be in charge of all construction projects in Border Town. Iron Axe Roland acknowledges Iron Axe's abilities and loyalty, and trusts him with leading his army. Theo Petrov Hull Kyle Sichi Roland relies on the former alchemist to find all the chemicals he needs for his projects. He relies on the knowledge in his mind to keep Kyle employed. Edith Kant She is a talented and intelligent woman. She is a high ranking member of Roland's new kingdom.Chapter 1036 Allies Margaret Farman Roland thinks of Margaret as a good, reliable business partner and a friend. She is his first choice when it come to purchasing anything. Thunder Enemies Osmond Ryan Roland saw Osmond Ryan as his first obstacle in consolidating the Western Region under his control, knowing full well of Ryan's intentions and planning to rebel against the duke once he has sufficient firepower. The Church The Church saw Roland as a threat to their plan to unify the four countries, with their view of him growing more dangerous with each of his victories. Dream World "Garcia"/Jia Xiya Zero Trivia * Some people believe Roland is possessed by God or the Devil due to all of the things that he thinks up. * Roland enjoys having afternoon snacks with the rest of the Witch Union and having afternoon naps. * Roland appears to have been a player of World of Warcraft in his past life as Cheng Yan and has adapted its item rarity system for the items he creates * Roland would always turn his back to the testing ground of gunpowder and say that real warriors never looked at an explosion.Chapter 813 This is a reference to Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions cliche. ** While not depicted in the webnovel, Roland is shown doing this in chapter 57 of the manga. * He loves to sleep late when there is nothing urgent. He typically wakes up at noon to deal with the government affairs.Chapter 575 * He tends to use chaos drinks to bribe or coerce his witches and even his own sister in order to keep a secret or for them to do a task for him (usually with food or chaos drinks). Gallery Manhua= Manhua - Roland.jpg|Cheng Yan "awakening" as Roland RolandManhua.png|Roland Wimbledon's appearance in manhua Roland2.png|Ditto Roland1.png|Roland (Right side) Roland Wimbledon Full Body.png|Full body shot of Roland Wimbledon in manhua. Roland and Anna.png|Roland and Anna in the castle gardens. Steam Engine.png|Roland proudly standing next to his first steam engine. 005-002 1553485937.png|Roland and Carter's reaction to the power of the steam engine. FirstArmyMilitia.png|Roland presiding over the formation of the Border Town Militia. FlintlockBlueprints.png|Roland with the blueprint for his flintlocks. Roland with flintlock.png|Roland holding one of the first flintlock rifles. Angry Roland.png|One of the few times that Roland visibly showed his anger. Robed-Roland.png|Roland wearing his white robe. Robed Roland.png|A guard kneeling as he reported to Roland during the Month of Demons. WendyandRoland.png|Roland accepting Wendy's proclamation of loyalty. CoolGuysDon'tLookatExplosions.png|Cool guys don't look at explosions |-| Misc. = Roland and Scroll.jpg|Roland and Scroll Roland and Chen Yan.jpg|Roland and Cheng Yan Roland-Wimbledon0001-459x1024.jpg|Roland by Gaspar rolandanime.jpg|Roland in planned and cancelled animated series/film References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Nobles Category:Martialists Category:Royal Family Category:City of Neverwinter Category:Kingdom of Graycastle Category:Wimbledon Family